Disney and Pixar regained vigor at the box office with the release of “Intensely 2″, which debuted with approximately $155 million in the United States alone, ranking as the second-largest animated debut in history. This premiere is the first film since “Barbie”, of Warner Brosto exceed 100 million dollars during its first week, as reported CNBC.
Making a significant impact globally, the film is expected to gross $295 million in its opening weekend, demonstrating a strong return from disney and Pixar to the film market after the post-pandemic difficulties. It is important to note that disney does not rate its 2019 remake of “The Lion King”which generated $191.7 million during its debut, as an animated film.
The success of “Intensely 2” marks a hopeful recovery for Pixar and Walt Disney Animationwhich had until now faced difficulties in attracting audiences back to theaters after opting to release several films directly to Disney+.
Senior media analyst comscorePaul Dergarabedian, assured when consulted by CNBC that this success is “a clear victory for cinemas” and “an even greater victory for Pixar,” reflecting the importance of this premiere in a complicated year for the film industry, which has seen a 26% decrease in ticket sales compared to 2023, and a 42% drop compared to 2019, according to data from comscore.
The film is Pixar’s fifth feature film. to surpass $100 million during its North American debut and the studio’s second-biggest opening, surpassed only by “The Incredibles 2” of 2018, which reached 182.6 million dollars. Their figures suggest that around 12 million people went to cinemas, according to data from EntTeligence.
Return to the big screen disney and Pixar It also eases concerns about the company’s perceived loss of commercial power. “This powerful debut of ‘Intensamente 2’ is a breath of fresh air,” Shawn Robbins, founder and owner of Box Office Theory, commented to CNBC. During the pandemic, the release of movies directly on streaming platforms and the focus on social issues had affected the brand.
The performance of “Inside Out 2” is relevant not only for this year, but for the industry in general. Movies like “Dune: Part Two”, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” and “Kung Fu Panda 4” have contributed to the 2024 box office, although with inconsistent releases in number and gross.
The absence of a movie Marvel Cinematic Universe at the beginning of summer, for the first time since 2009, it has had significant effects. Instead, this year the premiere of “The Fall Guy” from Universal, which only made $28 million.
Robbins adds that this success does not dispel all fears regarding changes in consumer behavior, “but it should stop those who believe that Disney or Pixar have lost their commercial capacity”. As the year progresses, more significant releases are anticipated such as “Deadpool and Wolverine” in July, which is expected to get off to a strong start, followed by “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” in September and “Joker: Folie a Deux” in October, among others.
Other notable releases to close out the year include “Gladiator II”, “Moana 2″ and “Wicked” in November, in addition to “Kraven the Hunter” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” in December, together with “Mufasa: The Lion King”. These films represent the industry’s hope to regain the traditional pace of the summer box office, which typically makes up 40% of the annual domestic box office total.
However, labor strikes and reduced productions have significantly affected the number of releases, pushing the possible decrease by up to $800 million compared to 2023. The industry hopes that the aforementioned titles can revitalize ticket sales and stabilize the situation. financial situation of the film sector by the end of the year, according to comscore.
